Employee Relations Specialist (12-Month Fixed-Term Contract)
Location: Leicester (Hybrid Working)
Contract: 12-Month Fixed-Term Contract
Division: Infrastructure Division
Reporting to: HR Business Partner Lead (or HR Director)
About Phenna Group
Phenna Group is a global provider of testing, inspection, certification and compliance services. With a decentralised operating model and a strong entrepreneurial culture, Phenna Group supports a diverse portfolio of specialist businesses across multiple sectors.
This opportunity sits within our Infrastructure Division, our largest UK division, comprising 18 operating companies working under a common set of people policies and procedures.
The Opportunity
We are seeking an experienced Employee Relations Specialist to join our Infrastructure Division on a 12-month fixed-term contract. This is a highly visible, commercially focused role responsible for driving improvements in absence management, reducing employment-related risk, and supporting managers in the effective resolution of employee relations matters.
Working closely with divisional leadership and HR stakeholders, you will lead on a varied ER caseload while delivering measurable improvements in absence rates, manager capability, and case resolution outcomes.
This role offers the opportunity to make a significant commercial impact within a friendly, pragmatic, and down-to-earth HR team, supported by dedicated HR administration resources.
Key Responsibilities
Employee Relations Case Management
- Manage a broad range of employee relations cases across multiple operating companies.
- Provide expert advice and guidance on: Absence management, Wellbeing-related cases, Disciplinary matters, Grievances, Appeals, Performance-related issues
- Ensure cases are managed consistently, fairly, and in line with company policies and employment legislation.
- Support managers through formal employee relations processes, hearings, and investigations.
Absence Reduction & Performance Improvement
- Lead initiatives aimed at reducing absence levels across the division.
- Analyse absence trends and identify opportunities for intervention and improvement.
- Partner with operational leaders to implement practical absence management strategies.
- Deliver measurable cost savings through improved attendance management.
Manager Capability Development
- Build management capability across employee relations and attendance management processes.
- Coach and support managers to confidently handle first-stage absence meetings and other ER processes.
- Develop and deliver training, guidance materials, and practical tools.
- Establish and track capability metrics to demonstrate improvements in manager effectiveness.
Reporting & Commercial Impact
- Maintain accurate ER case records and management information.
- Track case volumes, closure rates, outcomes, and key performance metrics.
- Produce regular reporting for divisional leadership.
- Demonstrate clear return on investment and business impact through measurable outcomes.
Success Measures
The successful candidate will be expected to deliver tangible and measurable outcomes, including:
- Reduction in absence-related costs, with a target of delivering approximately £150,000 in annualised savings.
- Effective management and closure of an average caseload of approximately 20 employee relations cases per month.
- Improved ER process consistency and case resolution metrics.
- Demonstrable improvements in manager capability across absence and employee relations management.
- High-quality case documentation and reporting.
About You
Essential Experience
- Proven experience in a dedicated Employee Relations role.
- Strong track record of managing complex ER cases from start to finish.
- Experience supporting both blue-collar and professional employee populations.
- Strong absence management expertise with evidence of delivering measurable improvements.
- Excellent knowledge of UK employment law and HR best practice.
- Experience using HR metrics and data to demonstrate business impact.
- Ability to influence, challenge, and coach managers at varying levels of experience.
- Strong organisational and stakeholder management skills.
Desirable
- CIPD qualification (or equivalent experience).
- Experience working across multi-site or decentralised organisations.
- Experience within industrial, infrastructure, engineering, manufacturing, services, or similarly operational environments.
Why Join Us?
- Opportunity to make a genuine commercial impact within Phenna Group's largest UK division.
- Exposure to a broad and varied ER remit.
- Collaborative and supportive HR team environment.
- Hybrid working model based in Leicester.
- Access to HR administration support, allowing focus on value-added ER activity.
